Daniel Ricciardo waits in wings as Sergio Perez left out of Red Bull post-season testing

In one of the strongest signs yet that Mexican F1 star Sergio Perez’s time at Red Bull Racing has come to a close, the first round of post-season testing allowed one of RBR’s second-tier drivers to step up into the main team.

Team Principal Christian Horner has thrown the ball firmly back into Perez’s court in what seems an offer to bow out gracefully before the axe is swung.

Horner has said publicly that ‘Checo’ has the opportunity to retire on his own terms if he so chooses before RBR decide how the team will look in 2025.

Perez still has two years left on his contract, but after a dismal 2024 season, it appears Horner has run out of patience and is looking inject some new blood in the top-tier team.

A particular bug-bear of Horner’s was the inability of Perez to assist Max Verstappen in banking points for the all-important constructor’s title which is worth anywhere up to $US150 million to the winning team.

Yuki Tsunoda was elevated into the Red Bull car for the first time during postseason testing in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, and the two drivers for Red Bull’s junior team VCARB went toe-to-toe in what seems an audition for next year’s prize second seat.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was fastest, Carlos Sainz was second fastest in his first hit out for Williams, while young Kiwi Liam Lawson was 13th quickest in the VCARB as he completed 159 laps in a marathon day of testing.

Lawson replaced Daniel Ricciardo for the last six races of the season, and the fact VCARB haven’t yet confirmed who will be driving alongside Tsunoda next season has increased speculation the 22-year-old New Zealander is the frontrunner to replace Perez at Red Bull.

One former F1 champion believes Perez is digging in his heels and will want a significant ‘golden handshake’ to walk away from the final two years of his contract with Red Bull.

“All the rumours suggest that he’s on his way out, but he hasn’t confirmed it yet, because he does have a contract apparently for next year,” Nico Rosberg told Sky Sports.

“We’ve heard rumours it’s around $16 million (A$25 million) there at play. He wants his money at least, so he’s not going to go away that easily. And I think there’s a bit of lawyer discussions going on at the moment.

“Who should replace him? Yeah, it’s such a hard decision, and the options are not so fantastic also because of a lack of experience on Lawson’s side.

“But I guess the rumours are, again, that they’re going to go for Lawson, which is the new driver that they brought in just recently in the Racing Bull’s car.

“And, yeah, I mean, that’s not an obvious one either because against Yuki Tsunoda it’s not like he’s been like on a different planet, he’s been there or thereabouts. But I guess that’s the gamble they will take, and they should be taking Red Bull.”

One of the voices of F1, Martin Brundle, feels Perez is on life-support at Red Bull and can see the similarities between his departure and that of Daniel Ricciardo after the Singapore GP this year.

“I feel the same way about Sergio as I did about Daniel Ricciardo, actually,” Brundle said on Sky Sports.

“I have the utmost respect for the person and the driver and the victories he’s had and some of the great overtakes and all the things we’ve seen Sergio do.

“Sometimes in subpar cars, as well, he’s won races without the fastest car on the track. Total respect.

“But I’ll be slightly relieved when it’s over. It must be purgatory for him at the moment.

“He’s lost his mojo, he’s lost his way and all the pressure that’s being heaped on that, it must be [difficult].

Ricciardo looked destined to end his career prematurely, in his eyes, however the addition of Cadillac to the F1 grid for the 2026 season may spell a new start for the Aussie, and rumours are swirling that Toyota are set to table a huge offer for him to join their stable.

The 35-year-old West Australian has been linked to Toyota, with the manufacturer reportedly willing to do whatever it takes to lure Ricciardo out of retirement.

A start with Toyota may mean Ricciardo takes a drive in Supercars in Australia, which would be a major coup for the class.